Lantern Bearer

About

Lantern Bearer is a single player action game. It was developed by kumakare and was released on September 10, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Lantern Bearer is a tough platformer about a small bear that falls into a dark and mysterious well. Choose your own path and claw your way back to the surface.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

music10 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features cute graphics, pleasant music, and satisfying controls, making it a polished experience.
Each of the five worlds introduces unique gimmicks and environments, providing enjoyable level design that feels fresh.
The game is challenging yet rewarding, allowing players to feel a sense of improvement with each attempt.

The difficulty curve is steep, with the final levels of each world being significantly harder than the earlier ones, leading to frustration.
There are issues with optimization, including random slowdowns and unresponsive controls that detract from the gameplay experience.
The level design can become repetitive, with certain mechanics overused and some levels feeling tedious and uninspired.

music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
27%
17%
The music in the game is generally praised for its strong alignment with the various worlds, particularly the groovy tracks in the ice world, while some users found the desert world's music a bit odd. Overall, the sound design is considered solid, contributing positively to the gameplay experience, though a few players suggested that a slightly improved original soundtrack (OST) could enhance it further.
- “The music is really well matched to the worlds, especially the ice world; it was groovy. I did feel the desert world's music was a little odd, but it still sounded good, so I never really cared much. Overall, the sound design and music are really solid.”
- “One of the best platformers I've played lately; I really enjoyed all the levels, the original soundtrack, and the difficulty curve.”
- “The original soundtrack is also a banger in my opinion.”
- “The music is really well matched to the worlds, especially the ice world. I did feel the desert world's music was a little odd, but it still sounded good, so I never really cared much. Overall, the sound design and music are really solid.”
- “The OST is also a banger, in my opinion.”
- “The music is really well matched to the worlds, especially the ice world. I did feel the desert world's music was a little odd, but it still sounded good, so I never really cared much. Overall, the sound design and music are really solid.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by a straightforward platforming challenge where players navigate through five distinct worlds, each with ten progressively difficult levels that introduce unique mechanics and environmental hazards. While the game features repetitive platforming elements, it compensates with a variety of gimmicks that are well-integrated and not overly frustrating. The ability to tackle the worlds in any order adds to the replayability, culminating in final levels that test the skills learned throughout the game.
- “Firstly, the gameplay is simple: get to the end of each level without dying. There are 5 worlds with 10 levels each, which progressively get more difficult. Each world introduces its own set of gimmicks and environments that work nicely together, and the gimmicks are never used in any annoying fashion.”
- “The 5 different zones can be played in any order, and while you will learn some of the game's mechanics from them, the zones have unique designs that correlate directly into the gameplay mechanics of that zone.”
- “It'd feel alright if only one world abused that mechanic, but no, you'll have to do the same platforming challenge over and over again.”
- “A visually cute but mechanically quite difficult little platformer that feels like a Super Meat Boy fangame, but a competently made one with some original enemy ideas.”
- “Ultimately these zones culminate in their own unique final levels, taking all the mechanics from the levels previous to them, as a final test of skill.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning blend of pixel art and visual effects, creating a visually pleasing experience that complements the gameplay. The charming aesthetics, highlighted by an adorable bear character and unique world designs, showcase the care put into the visuals, making it a standout choice for fans of precision platformers. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, despite its challenging gameplay.
- “The graphics are stunning and have a nice blend between pixel style and VFX, which really makes each element of the game just slot together and is insanely pleasing on the eyes.”
- “There was a lot of love put into the visuals, and if you're looking for a nice platformer, it's for you.”
- “- Adorable bear main character with solid pixel art aesthetic.”
- “This game is hard as hell, don't be fooled by the cutesy graphics.”
- “The worlds can be played in any order and each have their own unique aesthetic and mechanic.”
- “Adorable bear main character with solid pixel art aesthetic.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the initial levels of each world enjoyable, but the subsequent levels become tedious and frustrating due to irritating level design. While the game avoids excessive early grinding, the later stages are criticized for their lack of engagement.
- “The first ~7 levels in each world are enjoyable, but what follows after them is tedious and frustrating.”
- “The level design is irritating and tedious most of the time.”
- “The game doesn't waste the player's time with too many early tedious levels.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game lacks any narrative elements, including cutscenes, dialogue, or a tutorial, leaving players without a story to engage with. Additionally, there are no options for customizing controls or pausing the game, further diminishing the overall experience.
- “No cutscenes, dialogue, story, etc.”
- “You can't change the key bindings, there's no tutorial, there's no story, there isn't even a pause menu.”
- “No cutscenes, dialogue, story, etc.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users expressing that it feels poorly executed and lacking in quality.
- “It feels unoptimized and cheap.”